Cherry on Top
by KitoH
Summary: With Jack safe and sound, there is peace. But things take a hike to the mountains when he finds his father and long lost older brother. Put the fact that Jack learns of another Winter Spirit, the only word to describe it is, Chaos! (Part of J.A.C.K series)
1. So Real

_The brainwashing nightmare, got closer, and closer. Bunny repeatedly threw his boomerangs at it, but unlike the original nightmares, it would just reform. His weapons had no effect. Knowing if he stayed he would be brainwashed, he held the body of Jack close and ran. He didn't know where he was going but it had to be anywhere but here._

 _Aster then realised that he had 'borrowed' one of North's snow globes, in case of an emergency. And this definitely classed as an emergency. He grabbed it and shouted "THE WARREN!" And leaped through the portal._

 _He sighed in relief to see the familiar landscape of his home when he heard a rustle behind him. The brainwashing nightmare had followed him._

 _However, they were no longer in Pitch's mansion. This was Bunny's home. He had the upper hand. Or in his case, upper paw. He dodged the plants, and bolted over his unpainted googies. But the nightmare was only getting closer. Bunny felt his conscious begin to leave him. He was failing!_

 _He was moments away from becoming Pitch's servant. By this point he had stopped running. There was nothing he could do._

 _Then his eyes widened. It was coming for the nearest living creature. When Pitch had brainwashed Jack, the boy was the only living thing closest since he was quite far from the trees. If Bunnymund timed it right, he may have a chance. He saw an extremely long, flexible plant and grasped it in his free paw. The nightmare was 5 seconds away._

 _5._

 _This had to work._

 _4._

 _But what if he failed?_

 _3._

 _No. He was the Guardian of Hope. That's what he had to do._

 _2._

 _For the children._

 _1._

 _For Jack._

 _With all his might, he pulled the plant in front of him._

 _But nothing happened. He rapidly looked and saw the plant had vanished. He felt himself slipping into unconsciousness. His memories slipping away._

* * *

Bunny awoke with a gasp and shot up, looking to the infirmary bed across from him. Jack lay there, sleeping peacefully, a soft smile indicating a good dream.

Bunny sighed. It had felt so real. It felt like he had been replaying the memory of being chased by the brainwasher. He had felt the ache of the pouncing, the unconsciousness attacking his consciousness. The dead weight of Jack's body. All of it felt so real.

Jack awoke and saw Bunnymund staring blankly out the window.

"Ahem."

"Oh. Sorry 'bout that, mate. Just thinkin'."

before Jack could inquire further, Nick slammed open the door.

"Ya tell everyone ta knock, yet ya don't bother yarsel...Oh no!" Bunnymund stopped his assault on North when he saw 2 silver sparkly envelopes being waved in the air.


	2. Tinsel

"...oh nononono. No. I refuse to touch that...that...thing!"

Jack peered curiously at the 2 sparkly envelopes. They didn't look at all strange. In fact, the only strange thing was that they were covered with glitter. North passed one to Jack which the boy opened with haste. It was an invitation to the Christmas Ball that was only held once a decade.

"It says here on the invite that it's held once a decade..."

"Is correct, my boy."

"...well then why was I never invited before?"

North sighed. He had been hoping that Jack would bring that fact up. Now he had to answer the question. Delicately. He didn't want Jack running off again after the events of the past 2 days. Nuh uh. No way.

"the other spirits, as you know, no like you much. See you as irresponsible, careless, dangerous. Every year I try to invite you. Every year the others would threaten me. Last year they even went far as threatening to destroy all toys. But now, you are Guardian. Meaning it is compulsory for you to come."

He saw the gears in the young one's mind, working frantically. After what felt like forever, Jack nodded in understanding. Now for the most difficult part.

"Bunny, here is your inv..."

"Oh no ya don't. Every year it's tha same thing. I open the invite, 'nd something explodes into ma face. Glitter, sequins, ribbons.."

"Now, now my friend. Open it. Nothing will happen if you open it."

With a suspicious glare, Aster took the envelope slowly and pulled out the invite. He held it in front of himself with his eyes closed. After a few moments he opened one eye and saw nothing had come out. He breathed out a sigh of relief.

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

Then he found himself covered in tinsel of the most Christmasy colours. Jack pulled out a camera he had recently acquired and snapped a photo. This was going on the Bunnymund Wall of Shame. Right in the centre.

"Ya said nothin' would 'appen if I open it!"

"Ho Ho! I vas right. It happened 30 seconds after you opened!"

North chuckled and made a motion for the 2 younger Guardians to follow him. They walked through several halls which Jack had not yet had a chance to explore. Nick opened a white door and inside there were several yetis ticking columns of a list.

"This is where we sort who will be coming and who will not." A yeti made a thumbs up and the Santa went to look at the list. He mumbled to himself as he inspected the names and the columns in which the ticks were placed. He got to the bottom of the list and then gave a startled yelp. Bunnymund hoped over and looked at the last name listed. His eyes widened at the name.

"No way! She never, ever, EVER comes!"

"Who?"

North handed the list to Jack and pointed at the name at the bottom.

"Who is Cherry Winters?"

* * *

Well here it is.

As you can probably tell, there will be a female winter spirit named Cherry Winters (My OC) Should she be Jack's best friend, love intrest or little sister figure? (she will be younger than Jack)

There is a poll on my profile for it. You have 5 days to vote. The poll will close on Friday 23rd June so...

Vote!

Vote!

VOTE!

That's all for now.

~KitoH


	3. Plagued by Questions

"Who's Cherry Winters?"

"Ya don't know who she is? Yar jokin'!"

"No. I honestly have no clue."

Bunny took Jack aside to let North continue his work.

"Cherry is another winter spirit."

Jack had a look of confusion. "There is more than one winter spirit?"

"God! Of course there is!" Bunny pinched his nose to calm down. "Ok. There's yarself as the bringer of Winter. There's North, who brings Christmas, a WINTER celebration. And then there is Cherry Winters. She is in charge of taking care of nature in the winter. She makes sure that no animals eat the hibernating ones. She also ensures that the plants that grow in winter, actually grow. Just like one spirit is in charge of bringing Spring, another waking the animals and wild life and then maself who is in charge of the celebration for Spring. Easter." Same for the other seasons.

Jack's mind absorbed the information like a sponge. "So, what's so strange about her coming to the ball?"

North turned to the other 2 and said, "She has never came to one before. In fact, no one is knowing what she looks like because she keeps to herself." He than turned back to the work in front of him.

"Ya wanna come ta tha Warren?"

Jack nodded. Several questions plagued his mind.

Why had he not heard of Cherry Winter whereas everyone had?

What does she look like?

Did Jack ever see her in her mortal life?

Would she like him?

But not all the questions concerned the antisocial spirit. Other questions rose up.

Why did Pitch brainwash him into being his son?

Why did he feel a connection with Aster?

Where is his father?

Who is his father?

* * *

So far 5 people have voted on the poll. Remember you have until Friday to vote!


	4. 20 Million Reasons

Everyday, North would grow more and more frantic. Jack and Bunny didn't know what got the other winter spirit more worked up. Christmas or the Ball. The ball was to be held the day before Christmas Eve and it was going to be the biggest ever spirit gathering. Every single spirit would be there for the first time ever. That just added to North's worries. He had to make sure the elves stayed out of way, as well as splitting the yetis so that some could work on the presents and the others on the decor and food for the ball. Jack and Bunny pitched in. Jack entertained the elves outside, so the yetis could work without worrying about accidentally sending the elves to the infirmary. Bunny helped with the decorations. He made sure that the yetis got enough breaks but not too many that the production levels would go down.

By the 20th December, everything was ready, something that had never happened before. Nick was grateful for the helped and offered to help next winter and Easter to repay Jack and Aster, respectively. At the moment though Aster and Nick were having a slight problem.

"Why can't I just wear the clothes I always wear!?"

"It's a BALL. Notta field trip ya Gumby!"

Aster and North had already picked out their own clothes. Aster would be wearing a white shirt with a purple tux. North would be wearing something resembling his regular red shirt and black trousers. But the shirt would have golden spirals trailing down it. They were trying to convince Jack to wear a white shirt and cerulean blue trousers and tux. But the boy could come up with 20 million reasons why not to wear it.

1) It was a TUXEDO!

2) He would look ridiculous.

3) He would have to wear shoes!

4) IT WAS A BLOODY TUXEDO!

(I would list the rest but it would waste time, especially since the excuses would just become more and more stupid. (Such as "I'm 318!(Honestly what has that got to do with anything!?)))

"Frostbite. Yar gonna wear this whether ya like it or not! So just deal with it. It's only fur 1 night!"

Jack gave him a look which clearly stated _'you-owe-me-big-time-kangaroo!'_

 _"_ Fine. But I don't have to be happy about it!"

"No one said ya had to be."

* * *

It was 3 days later and many of the guests have arrived already. Tooth and Sandy found the other 3 Guardians and they all praised each other for their outfits. Sandy was wearing a white shirt and a golden sparkling tuxedo. Tooth was wearing a beautiful blue, green and purple dress, with diamond running down the neck.

Suddenly all went silent and everyone turned to the entrance. Standing there was a gorgeous girl, that no one had seen before, slightly younger than Jack. It was Cherry Winters.

* * *

Ive changed my mind, the poll will close tomorrow, (Tuesday 20th June). I can't wait until Friday because this story is progressing fast.

 ** _SO GO AND VOTE. YOUR VOTE COULD CHANGE THE WHOLE STORY!_**

~KitoH


	5. Call Me Cherry

She walked timidly into the room, trying to ignore all the staring. She was wearing a beautiful dress. It was flowing cerulean blue which matched Jack's suit. It also had royal blue and was lined by silver. She wore a necklace which had 4 diamonds arranged into a diamond shape. **(A.N. I have an image of the dress but don't know how to share it with you lot. Can someone tell me how? Thanks?)** Her hair was as white as snow. It had been plaited and twisted into a bun. Short curly tendrils framed her face delicately. In her hair she wore a silver tiara with sapphires arranged like the necklace. She wore blue high heels and in her hand was a staff the looked exactly like Jack's. Jack looked at his hands and saw his staff and realised the she indeed have an identical staff. She ignored all the male spirits trying to start a conversation, and walked down to where the Guardians stood.

"Good evening, Cherry Winters." said Nick happily. "Nice to be meeting you."

The girl looked slightly annoyed that she was addressed using her full name. "Please. Just call me Cherry."

"I'm as you know, North, and this is Sandy, Tooth, Bunnymund and Jack, our newest addition." introduced the man as he indicated to each Guardian when he spoke their name.

Cherry turned to Jack. "Congratulations on your Guardianship. You must be happy."

Jack shrugged. "It's great being a Guardian but you have to deal with this one," he stated, pointing at Aster with a cheeky grin.

Thanks to his ability to hear things from long distances, Bunny heard the jab and carefully made his with ay towards his fellow Guardian. Jack's eyes widened slightly and he grabbed Cherry's arm, ignoring her startled squeak, and pulled her into the main workshop. They flew off as the Spring spirit gave chase. "Come back here, ya dingbat!"

"No way, Joey!"

"Joey?" asked Cherry.

"I call him a kangaroo."

"I AM NOT A KANGAROO! I AM A BUNNY!" Shouted Bunnymund as he began to run faster.

After 2 hours, the 3 were exhausted. They went back to the ball room and saw spirits were partnering for a few dances. Upon their arrival many males came to ask Cherry to dance. Jack saw she looked intimidated and decided to help his fellow Winter spirit.

He held out his hand and bowed slightly. "May I have this dance?" He asked looking slightly regal about the situation.

Cherry giggled and took his hand. "You may." With that he pulled her over into a empty space, ignoring the glares of the other spirits, and they began to dance. Cherry accidentally stepped on his foot and looked the slightest bit annoyed with herself. "Sorry. I've never danced before."

Jack knew how to dance, but when he saw how she looked saddened she came up with a master plan. He pretended to trip and he quickly pulled himself up again. "I totally meant to do that. That was no way an accident." Her face lit up, just a little, and they continued to dance. After the song had finished they sat down at the side, juice in hand, watching the people still dancing.

"I may not come again."

Jack quickly turned his head to look at the younger girl. "What!?"

"I'm not the most social person. I only came to congratulate you. I had actually planned on leaving after an hour. I prefer to stick to myself."

Jack didn't want to let her go. He felt something rise in his chest but he didn't know what it was. She was a fellow Winter spirit. The moment she walked into the workshop, she sealed her fate. She was stuck with him. Plus the girl had been alone like he had. He had someone to relate to. He wasn't going to let her walk in then out of his life. She walked through the door, and it was locked behind her. He was going to stay by her side. No matter what.

But before Jack could protest, a loud crash was heard and a dark chuckle followed. Golden eyes glinted in the cloud of dust.


	6. Rock that Outfit

_The poll is closed._

 _Love interest had 0%_

 _Best friend had 17%_

 _Little sister had 83%_

 _So it's kind of obvious which one won! Thanks to all the people who R &R!_

* * *

Pitch Black chuckled at the shocked expressions on the Guardians faces. Sandy was making threatening images, Tooth looked like she was ready to knock out his teeth and turn them into a necklace (that made Pitch wonder if she would actually do that), North looked annoyed that Pitch had crashed his Ball. Jack and Aster were shocked at the sight of Pitch. The nightmare King studied the Winter spirit a bit more closely. He was standing in a fighting stance which resembled Bunny's. One hand held his staff, the other had pulled a fellow winter spirit towards him. 'That must be Cherry Winters. What a beautiful young lady. She had potential,' Pitch mused.

"Hello, everyone. Sorry I'm late. I had to find a present to give a certain spirit." he finished with a malicious smile, and a look at Jack.

"No one invited ya! So get lost!" Aster held his boomerangs threateningly, ready to protect his friends.

"Someone's over protective. It's funny how oblivious you two are."

"What the hell are ya talking 'bout, ya dingo!?"

"3 words for you Bunnymund. Check the archives."

Turning away from Bunny's confused expression, Pitch turned to look to Frost and Winters, only to find that had disappeared

* * *

"Cherry! Where on Earth are you taking me!?"

Cherry continued to run, not bothering to fly but she answered as she dodged yetis, elves and spirits alike. "Are you honestly capable of fighting in a suit like that!?" Jack was silent, realising that he would never be able to battle Pitch if he was dressed like a Lord. "Where's your room, Frost!?"

Jack gave her the directions and within a moment they were at Jack's room. Jack grabbed his clothes and heard the bang of his bathroom door closing. He changed quickly and within a minute, Cherry came out looking completely different. She had undone her bun and the snow white plait trailed down to her waist. Instead of a dress she was wearing a pale blue zip up hoodie with dark blue jeggings. She wore white trainers and she held her staff confidently. Jack concluded that this girl could rock any outfit.

"Let's go." They flew off towards the ball room where North, Tooth, Sandy, and Aster were battling Pitch.

"You forgot to defeat me, Rabbit. You destroyed the brainwashed and forgot about me! I've been waiting for 2 months, to bring you and Frost to your fate. Which will work well in my favour!"

Cherry and Jack burst into the room ready to kick Pitch where the sun don't shine.

"Awww, look. Jack's got himself a girlfriend!" mocked Pitch.

"She's NOT my girlfriend!" True he did have feelings for her, but definitely NOT in a romantic sense.

"Whatever. I'm changed my mind. I'm not after you or any other Guardians." He leered at Cherry, who's stance sagged, just a bit. "The Spirit of Winter. All alone. Refuses to be acknowledged. Aren't you fed up? Join me. It wou..."

"Oh look. The King of Nightmares is so pathetic, that he has to try and convince his enemies to join him!"

Pitch didn't look fazed. He smiled, which managed to darken the room. "You'll regret that Winters. Just you wait." The raven haired villain, shadowed to the Unknown. Leaving the 2 spirits of Winter and the spirit of Spring what he meant.

"Check the archives."

"You'll regret that..."

"Just you wait..."


	7. Dynamic Duo

**_I have a question. I have a picture of Cherry's Ball gown, but I don't know how to share it with you lot. Can someone please tell me!_**

 ** _I also have a competition. I need an image of Cherry, Jack, and Aster for the cover. You draw it and find a way to send it to me. The best will become my new cover image._**

 ** _Good Luck._**

 ** _(If you need more info on what Cherry looks like, PM me)_**

* * *

The Guardians stood there, in shock. For Pitch to threaten the Guardians was considered normal. But he just pulled in a spirit who had only been seen today. He had NEVER done that before. He just dragged Cherry into the war between himself and his nightmares and the 5 Guardians.

Cherry had a passive expression. In all honesty she had no clue what to do in situations like this. She was a lone spirit. She didn't ever converse with another spirit. She never even went to the Seasons meetings. She was scared to have any amount of attention pushed onto her. It reminded her of what happened, before her immortalisation.

* * *

 _Cherry was the second oldest child in the village of Burgess. She was a studious type however she loved to hang out with Jackson and the other children in the village. Jackson would play mass games of Tag, Hide-And-Seek, and Stuck in the Mud. Sometimes he would tell stories or put on plays. In his spare time however, he hung out with her as they were at least 5 years older than the rest of the children._

 _One day, Cherry and Jackson were sitting by the lake when they heard commotion come from the village. They ran and saw the children being full on wrestled by some bullies from the town over. Cherry yanked Jack by the arm into his home and told him to change._

 _"Why do I have to change!? We gotta help the kids!"_

 _"If you are capable of fighting in the 5 sweaters your mother gave us then please inform me! He gave a sheepish grin and they changed into tops and jeans, pulling their ponchos on top._

 _The Dynamic Duo (as they were known as) flashed outside._

 _Jack smiled and punched one of the 2 bullies in the face. Cherry did the same to the other. "TAG. YOU'RE IT!" They cried simultaneously, running off at full speed._

 _After that incident, they always spent time with the younger ones. They were scared the bullies would return to exact their revenge. They almost forgot the other existed. The Dynamic Duo was lost to those 2 bullies._

* * *

 _Cherry was helping her Mum in the kitchen when she found out._

 _"Knock, knock."_

 _Cherry's mother wiped her hands and opened the door. It was Mrs. Overland. The 2 women conversed, Jackson's mother holding Flee tight. The 2 mothers and the young girl walked into the kitchen with red eyes and stained cheeks._

 _"Mother? Mrs. Overland? Flee? What happened?"_

 _They indicated the 17 year old to sit down on one of the 2 couches. Mrs. Overland and Cherry's mother sat on the larger couch. Cherry sat on the smaller one. Flee jumped into her lap, hugging the older girl tight, sobbing uncontrollably._

 _Half an hour later, Cherry was crying, clutching Flee like she would too disappear._

 _Jackson Overland was dead._

* * *

 _A week later there was another knock on the door. Cherry pulled the cake out of the oven and answered it. It was several mothers and their young children. There was a market a few villages over. All the men would be extremely busy hunting and so the women went to Cherry. The girl was overwhelmed. Normally, Jackson would come up with the games. She had no clue how to handle so many children by herself._

 _She helped them draw and paint, (she was the best artist in the village) but anything else was beyond her abilities. Without Jack they were never truly happy._

* * *

Cherry was yanked out of her memories by a certain spirit of Christmas. "We need to talk with Manny. Come with haste!" Cherry made her way to leave until...

"Yar coming too, Snowflake." Cherry glared at the nickname, but went with them too the Globe Room.

Manny and North were having an intense conversation, and hearing only half of the it didn't help the others understand any better.

They expected North to turn around and tell them a huge list of things to do. But instead...

"Bunnymund. Manny is saying to heed Pitch's advice."

Tooth went wide eyed. "Hang on a moment. We have been standing here for 2 hours and you only convey a single sentence!?"

"Let me finish. Jack, you need to as well."

Bunny went over the conversation he had with Pitch. 2 sentences stuck out.

 _"3 words for you Bunnymund. Check the archives."_

 _"The Archives."_


	8. The Archives

Bunny pounced off at full speed. Jack flew after him, trying to catch up with the Pooka. He was going so fast that when Aster stopped he ended up smashing into him, sending them into a pile on the floor. Jack looked up and saw shelves full of scrolls and books, all of which were extremely dusty.

"God. When was the last time someone was in here."

"Ah think it was 2017 years ago." ( **A.N.** **See what I did there ;P** )

Jack stared at the Pooka who went to the shelves labelled B. He searched for his last name and pulled out a GIGANTIC book. He opened it and looked for his generation page. He saw himself, then 3 of his brothers, one of his sisters, another brother, Jack Frost, 16 of his sist...hang on a minute!

Aster went back 16 and came upon Jack's name.

"Oi, Frostbite! Have ya found yar history yet?"

While Bunny was looking at his own history, Jack tried to find his book.

"Yep. Just give me one momento and I'll be over in a roly mo!" Bunnymund rolled his eyes at the boy's antics. Jack staggered over with a book labelled Overland. He found his page and read. There was Aster, himself and Flee.

"Wait, Kangaroo! What are you doing in my book!?"

"Ah was 'bout ta ask ya the same thing!"

Jack closed the book and dumped it on top of the Bunny's book which had also been closed. When the 2 closed books came in contact with each other they began to glow green, blue and black (they honestly had no clue how it could GLOW BLACK). A giant projection came up.

* * *

One day, a female Pooka came across a crying baby boy. Her son Aster picked up the baby and sniffed it. There was no note and no sign of anyone looking for the brown haired, brown eyed boy. She took him home and let Aster feed the baby. She thought maybe the child didn't have a family so she decided in a way to give him one. In the milk was a potion. It would bind her son and Jackson as brothers. Everyone in Jack's family would be related to Aster, however Jack's family would not be related to Aster. It was the versa. So for example, Flee would be Aster's sister, but Flee would not be related in any way to Aster.

The female Pooka was ready to keep the lonely child when she found out his mother was looking for him. However, the deed was done. The potion's effects would live on forever. She took the baby back for the mother to find him. She then changed Aster's memory so he would never remember what had happened.

When Mrs. Overland found Jackson, she swore he was a bit more alert than before. Like a rabbit. Or a Pooka.

* * *

Jack fled out of the room when the realisation dawned on him.

"Frostbite! Where are you going!?" Bunny chased after his new found brother. Jack Frost was his brother. If anyone had told him that last Christmas, he would of beaten them to hell and back. But he couldn't dwell on then and now. His nose lead him to Jack's room. The boy had forgotten to lock his door in his haste.

Bunny heard a small whisper come from the figure curled up on the bed. "I'm sorry."

Aster sat on the bed with him. "Fur what, ya ninny?"

"Well, you must hate the fact that your own brother ruined Easter twice. You must be disappointed that you got me instead of your real brothers or sisters."

Aster picked up the child and looked him dead in the eye. He could see 2 people residing in Jack's eyes. One of them was an old spirit who had lived their worst nightmare for their whole life and was feeling age creep up on him. The other was a young vulnerable child, uncertain of his future. A child that had lost his family. One that needed a new pillar to hold him up. Bunny swore he would be that pillar.

"I could never hate ya. I know it seemed like that originally, but I was just angered because I was stressed. Anyway, because ya than North. If we were brothers, imagine the chaos." Jack smiled contently, ready to fall asleep in the Pooka's soft fur. "Come on. I think we'll be able to find out who and where yar father is." Jack's eyes snapped opened and he raced back to the archives.

"LAST ONE THERE IS GREYHOUND FOOD!" Bunny smirked and summons one of his tunnels. He hopped in and arrived at the archives. Jack appeared just before the tunnel closed.

"You cheated!"

Aster chuckled at his younger brother's nativity. "Ya never stated how we had to get there. Plus ya can fly and ya had a head start. So we are fair as square."

Jack harrumphed and picked up his book he asked "Who is my father?" The two ancient family trees collided and glowed black (HOW WAS IT DOING THAT!?) what they saw made Jack regret his question immediently. It was a tall grey figure wearing a sort of black robe. His hair was spiky and black. His face was thin with highly defined cheekbones. The golden eyes glinted maliciously.

Jack's father was none other than Pitch Black!


	9. Sensing Fear

Under an old bed outside of the small village of Burgess. Under that bed was a hole. It was located in a place wehre only the curious of people would go. If you jumped down that hole you would find yourself in an underground world, a giant mansion located in front of you. It was giant and had an eerie air about it. If you were that type of person who hates dark places, you would of shot up and out of the hole and would of practically flown to the place furthest away from the place. There was only enough light to see where you were going, otherwise it was crawling with shadows.

However if you put curiosity first, you would have ventured inside. The only thing in the first hall would be fear. You be able to feel the fear. Smell the fear. Taste the fear. See the fear. Hear the fear. That fear would send the bravest man running, shrieking like a baby. That is what Pitch loved about his home. He thrived on the fear. He spent his free time listening to people's fear coming from all over the world.

He could hear a girl's fear of facing a spider.

He could hear a boy's fear of being abandoned.

But at that moment in time, there was a fear that silenced all the others. It was the fear of Jack Frost.

Pitch sat on his throne of nightmares and reached out towards the Winter spirit's fear. In his mind, he could hear the fear. "NONONONONONONONO! THERE IS NO WAY PITCH BLACK IS MY FATHER!"

The Spirit of Fear laughed darkly. So they actually decided to follow his advice. He reached out again and heard Bunnymund's fear. "Pitch didn't hesitate in using Jack once! What if he convinces Jack to join him!? I can't lose my baby brother! I only just found him!"

Pitch stared up at the MiM, who was glowing brightly. "How can your Guardians defeat me, if the two strongest fear me over all!?"

At the question, the light from the moon dulled considerably. Pitch smirked and shadowed away.

* * *

Bunny and Jack sat in the Warren, cups of tea in their hands/paws. A gust of wind blew the tea, ice cold and the only female Winter Spirit followed.

"Boys, North has been wondering where you two have been. Why are you here? What did you find?" Cherry studied them close. Now she hadn't been around them long so she shouldn't really cast aspirations, but something was wrong. Bunny kept sipping the tea unaware that the wind had practically frozen it. He looked to be deep in thought. His eyes looked haunted.

Jack had a pot of sugar next to him. He kept sipping the tea then dumped in a tablespoon of sugar. He repeated the process until he couldn't drink it because it was all sugar, no tea. It reminded her of her old best friend. Whenever he was upset he would dumped tablespoons upon tablespoons of sugar into his mug. Now that she thought about it they both looked similar. Their hair was the same length, they were both the same height, they were both adventurous and cheeky. Maybe...no. Jackson Overland couldn't be Jack Frost. But all the same...

Cherry was so busy thinking she almost missed Bunny's answer. "Jack's my younger brother. Pitch is his father."

"Your fucking joking! How!?"

Jack answered in a small voice "We don't know. The books didn't tell us."

Bunnymund's droopy ears shot up. "But yar mother's memories will!"

Jack stood up, staff in hand. "Then what are we waiting for?"

Cherry laughed. "We are waiting for you to catch up." Bunny and Cherry then ran off, laughing at Jack's dramatically betrayed expression. 'That laugh and comeback sound so familiar, but I can't put my finger on it.' He than ran off after them, an old memory played in the back of his head.

* * *

"Jackson! Jackson! It's here! The fair is here!"

Jackson looked over to his fellow brunette who was jumping for joy, literally.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Cherry laughed. "We are waiting for you to catch up."


	10. Another 20 Million

"Why not!?"

"Because it's not your memories. You and Aster should know better."

Tooth and Jack were currently arguing about why Jack wasn't/was allowed his mother's Toothbox.

Jack started listing his usual 20 million reasons for why he should be allowed.

1) It was HIS mother.

2) He wanted to see his father.

3) He wanted to see the cat that sat on the mat. (WHAT!?)

4) They were technically his. They were HIS mother's memories.

(As you can tell by now, Jack was fond of his ridiculous 20 million reasons.)

Bunny groaned loudly. "He did this when he didn't wanna wear the tux."

'Jackson did that too' thought Cherry, sadly. He would of loved to hear that Jack Frost was a lot like him.

"Sweet Tooth. Why do you want them? The truth."

Jack sighed. He knew Tooth really liked him so he thought that maybe she would let him off. Apparently she would unless it had to do with her precious teeth. (They were the only thing she liked better than Jack. Unless you counted North...)

Cherry saw his discomfort so she decided to assist him. "When they went to the archives, they found out that Bunny and Jack are actually brothers. Then they found out that Pitch is Jack's father. We wanted to find out how that came to be."

Tooth held a hand up to her mouth in horror. Her Sweet Tooth was the son of a living Nightmare. But that did not affect her view on Jack. Pitch Black didn't deserve to be Jack's father. "Fine. On one condition."

"Anythin' Sheila. This information may be vital."

"Only 2 of you are allowed to see the memories."

Cherry shrugged and made a shooing motion to the 2 males. "Well, off you go then. Chop. Chop."

Aster opened his mouth to protest but Cherry interrupted. "I understand that it is critical for Jack to go. It is to do with his father. And technically it's your father, even if you're not his son. I have nothing to do with it, so there is no point in me going. Now shoo. I have to go to Britain and sort out the blizzard that someone 'forgot' to stop." She said the last bit with a look to Jack who smiled sheepishly.

"I've forgotten to give them snow for like 4 years!"

"That's no excuse Frost." Before Jack could begin to argue, she gave a 2 fingered salute, and flew off.

Tooth gave Bunnymund the toothbox that some fairies just delivered. "Here. Look at what you need to. But try not to be too nosy. I'm a bit behind schedule "5th incisor Canada. Give the poor boy some extra money for brushing and flossing' so I'll see you two later." And with that Toothiana flew off giving several orders at once.

Jack took the box from Bunny with shaking hands.

"Do I really want to see this?" Jack turned to his brother with a look that clearly showed he was scared.

Aster put a reassuring paw on Jack's shoulder.

"Ya may not wanna. But ya hafta. If it makes ya feel better, we'll leave when it gets too much."

Jack nodded in appreciation and they simultaneously opened the box.


	11. Smitten

**Key:** Underline for memories

 _Italic for Present Jack speech_

 **Bold for Present Bunnymund**

* * *

Bunny and Jack opened their eyes and was met by the sight of an old version of Burgess.

 _"Look! There's mother!"_ And sure enough, there was Amelia West walking down the street. On the other side of the same street a tall man walked, looking around as if it was a foreign planet. And it was indeed. For the man was Kozmotis Pitchiner. He had been sent through time and space by the ever strengthening Fearlings.

Amelia was carrying several bags of groceries when someone chucked a stone just under her foot. She tripped and the bags went flying. Kozmotis looked up and caught the bags with ease. He then approached Amelia with caution so as not to drop the bags on top of her.

"Thank you."

Kozmotis peered over the groceries and then he realised how beautiful the woman was. He, the Fierce Warrior of the Golden Age was smitten over a woman he not yet said a word to. "You're welcome. Let me take these to your house for you."

Amelia was slightly shocked at the proposal and began to refuse. "Oh no! I can't do that!"

"It is no problem. Now, shall we go?"

"Oh, yes! This way ..."

"Kozmotis Pitchiner at your service."

"Amelia West." The 2 walked down the street. Jack and Aster rolled around laughing.

 **"Ah never would of believed tha' Pitch was smitten for a village girl."**

The scene changed to a crying Amelia Pitchiner. There was a letter in front of her and 2 adorable babies in the crib next to her. A balloon floated above stating 'Twins!'

 _"I..I had a twin!?"_ Jack peered at the babies. One was definitely him. The other was a little girl. _"I had a twin sister!?"_

 **"'pparently, so."** They went over and read the letter.

My dearest Amelia,

I am so sorry about young Jackson's illness. But I am needed in my universe. Give our daughter to one of your friends so you can tend to our son. You can send me messages with the Multi-verse Tube I enclosed. Just record the message in as many parts as necessary then place it on a flat surface and say my name.

You will have to marry another man so you are not kicked out of the village. I am sorry for putting you in this position. Please send me the recordings of our children's voices. I will miss you.

From your regretful husband,

Kozmotis Pitchiner.

* * *

They both flew out and Jack had a hurt look on his face. "I had another sister who was sent away just because mother couldn't handle her at the same time as me!"

Bunny embrace the other Seasonal.

"That's why she always carried that tube around. She was recording messages for dad."

Aster pulled away slightly, just so he could see Jack's face but not so much that the hug would become nonexistent.

"Yar really gonna call him that?"

Jack pulled away. So much for avoiding a nonexistent hug.

"Pitch Black is NOT my dad. He is only my father by blood. Nothing more, nothing less. Kozmotis Pitchiner is my dad by both blood and love. He wanted to be part of my life and did everything within his power to do so. Pitch wants to use me. Kozmotis wanted to love me."

Aster hugged him again. They would of stayed like that but they saw something that they _REALLY_ didn't need to see. The Northen Lights reached out across the sky. And they were glowing brighter then ever before...


	12. Protective Instincts

Bunny and Jack emerged from a tunnel and saw Sandy and North in the Globe Room. North paced the room going back and forth. Sandy was tapping his finger on the table, completely ignoring the glass of Eggnog next to him. Tooth came fluttering through the doors and promptly sat in her seat, accepting a glass of water that a passing elf offered her.

Bunny slammed his paw on the table to get everyone's attention. "WHAT HAPPENED!?"

North sighed, motioned for Bunny to sit and said mournfully. "Pitch has went too far. He has kidnapped Cherry with no intention of brainwashing her."

Jack shot up and flew out of the window with Bunnymund close behind. Tooth gave a last order before shouting. "Get the Sleigh North!"

* * *

Jack and Bunny were traveling across the Pole at rapid speed. They hadn't felt this protective instinct since they last tried to save their siblings. The 3 had grown close during the Ball and now couldn't stand the idea of one of the trio getting hurt. They reached the end of the land and Bunny summoned one of his tunnels and jumped in with Jack following after.

* * *

Cherry was sitting in a dark room in Pitch's mansion wondering why she had ended up in this situation.

She had just finished clearing up the blizzard when suddenly a strange black horse approached. Being a winter spirit for the animals, she was wondering what it was doing in the sky. She peered closer and saw it seemed to be made out of sand. Panicking, she realised it was one of Pitch's nightmares. She tried to fly to the nearest Guardian home but the nightmare caught up with her and sent her to sleep. Surprisingly, she had quite a pleasant dream. It was the time she had tried to convince Jackson that wolf cubs are adorable. He wouldn't agree with her, no matter what she tried.

When she awoke, she found herself in a room that had its lights off. Suddenly, the flickered on. The room was quite pretty. It was cerulean blue and grey. There was a desk with stationary on top, arranged neatly. There was a bookcase full of books. Half, she could tell, were empty paged books. There was a big four poster bed in the centre with and bedside desk right next to it. There was a large cupboard in the corner. Cherry opened it and saw beautiful clothes from regular jeans and tops to stunning ball gowns. There was a door next to the cupboard. Inside was a room with everything that anyone would ever need to sew several seasons of clothes. It was amazing. The door opened and Pitch came in. By this time, Cherry had decided to ignore the beauty of the room and sat on an empty space on the floor.

When the Nightmare King walked in, he looked slightly disappointed that Cherry looked to show no interest in the room.

There was silence. "Well? Aren't you going to brainwash me or torture me or something?"

Pitch looked horrified at the question. "Of course not! I just came here to tell you, you are free to roam this place as you please. Make yourself at home. I will get you when it is time for dinner." Pitch left not noticing the shocked expression on Cherry's face.

She picked up her staff and tried to open the window, but it stubbornly stayed in place. She sighed. She raised her staff above her head and brought it down hard. A frosty pulse grew to the edges of the room. Cherry fell unconscious.

Outside the mansion, Jack felt the pulse. His eyes grew wide. "Cherry is scared."

"'Ow is tha bad?"

Jack turned to Aster. "She could end up eternally freezing herself!"


	13. Darkness

Pitch left his room to find Cherry. She was in her room. Fear practically radiated off her. Pitch sighed. Could the girl not see he was doing this with good intentions?

He opened the door quietly. Just in time to see Cherry pull herself up. The way she was carrying herself instantly let Pitch know that she had given herself concision and that she had been unconscious for an extended period of time. He opened the door wider and coughed to make his presence known. The feminine spirit jumped five feet into the air and almost fainted again. She saw Pitch and the fear multiplied.

"Come. It is time to eat."

"M'not hungry." mumbled Cherry.

"I don't believe y..."

"I said, I'm not hungry!? Okay!?" She winced in pain and before she could tell Pitch to get lost, she crumpled down on to the floor.

* * *

Jack and Bunny burst through the doors and saw that one door was ajar.

"...Okay!?" They recognised that voice. It was Cherry. But before they could find out where she was, they heard a thud and a few seconds later someone screaming. They saw Pitch quickly leaving a room, turning the lights off in it and closing the door. They made sure Pitch was gone and went through the door. Cherry was on the floor writhing in pain. She hadn't stopped screaming. Aster touched her in a move to pick her up but she jerked violently away. She stopped screaming but she had a pained expression upon her face.

"Stay away," she mumbled. Jack tried to pick her up and was glad to see, while she didn't stop writhing, that she didn't jerk away like she did with Aster. Jack motioned for Aster to summon a tunnel. He did so and they jumped through.

They arrived at the Warren and they made their way to a spare room. They put her down on the bed.

"Frostbite. Get some water." Jack left and arrived a minute later with a jug and glass. Bunnymund poured some water into the glass and gently pressed it against the girl's lips. Her mouth parted slightly and Aster poured some water down her throat. He gave the glass to Jack who put it aside and chucked a blanket over the girl. "She looks peaceful, but somethin' may 'appen. I'll inform the others of the situation. Yar gonna hafta stay here. She reacts better ta ya fur some reason."

"Alright but be back quick." And with that, the Easter Bunny hopped off. Jack pulled up a chair and found a book to read. It wouldn't do well if he fell asleep.

* * *

 _Cherry opened her eyes and saw darkness. She vaguely remembered falling unconscious again. She felt around for her staff, but couldn't even feel the ground. But she couldn't be flying. She could only fly if she had her staff. She felt around for something, but there was only empty space. She stood up and wobbled slightly. It wasn't exactly easy when there was no floor, no walls and no ceiling to stop you from drifting away into the unknown. She saw a light up ahead. She sighed in relief and made her way towards it. Her throat was feeling dry. As if she had been screaming at quite a volume. Cherry shook her head. Her mouth had been closed the whole time._

 _She eventually arrived at the light. She saw another light in the distance. There was a tall silhouette. Cherry called out. The figure turned towards her and started to slowly make its way towards her. It was getting closer. It got closer and she felt something against her back and she jerked violently. She turned and saw no one. The back of her head was telling her that she should recognise the figure. But try as she might, she couldn't place a finger on it. That was until, it reached her. It was Pitch._

 _Cherry recoiled and said steadily, "Stay away." Her voice betrayed her fear. She felt something against her back again but this time it was more comforting. She leaned into the touch slightly and felt herself falling down a hole. She looked up and saw Pitch trying to reach her._

 _She felt herself being layed down and she didn't fight it. She was too tired. It was still dark but this time, a bit more comfortable. As if some light was on, somewhere where she couldn't see it. She wanted to drift back to sleep but she felt something cold push against her lips. She opened her mouth, unaware of the action and felt water sweeping away the dryness. She then felt something soft and heavy cover her. She snuggled down, ready to sleep when she heard a noise. Pitch was coming towards her. How she could tell in the darkness, she had no idea. She tried to sit up but the heavy thing on top of her weighed her down. She tried pushing it off her person but found herself getting tangled up in whatever it was. Pitch Black toward above her and his appearance changed. It looked to similar to Pitch, but his hair was slicked back and he was wearing some type of armour. Cherry couldn't help herself. "Dad?" she asked. He nodded and to Cherry's utmost horror half his face turned back to Pitch's they looked so similar. "No." she mumbled. It wasn't true. By this point he had morphed fully into Pitch._

 _"Don't fight the facts Cherry." His smile became twisted. "I am your father."_

 _Cherry's breathing became heavy and rapid. She didn't want to see this._

 _His smile widened. "If you wish." He flicked his hand and she felt something against her own hand. Cherry was falling..._

* * *

Jack heard Cherry twisting slightly and peered over his book. He chucked it to the side and tried to yank the blanket off. But the girl was twisting so violently that it wasn't possible.

"Dad?" Cherry mumbled. Jack looked at her and realised she was dreaming about her dad. He thought maybe she was twisting in excitement. At least he hoped. But that hope faded when she whispered, "No." Her breathing grew heavy and rapid. Jack placed his hand on top of her's and she awoke.

"Cherry? Are you OK?"

"Jack? Why is it so dark here? Turn the light on?"

"What do you mean? The light is on!" exclaimed Jack, getting more and more worried.

"Stop messing around Frost and turn the light on!"

"I'm not joking! It is on!"

There was a pause in the exchange.

"Jack, are my eyes open?"

"Wide open."

"And the lights are on?"

"Yes."

"Then why can't I see anything?"


	14. Promise

"What do you mean, you can't see anything?"

"I mean, I can't tell where we are, can't tell where you are and can't tell where my staff is."

"We are in the Warren, I'm literally just in front of you and here is your staff."

Cherry put the staff to the side and hugged Jack. She sobbed for a long time. How long she didn't know. She only knew Jack would be there for longer than she needed him.

"Oh no. Why is she crying?" Jack turned his head towards the door and saw that Aster had returned with the 3 other Guardians. Tooth sat next to Cherry who began to cry on the fairy. The Guardian of Memories had one arm around the younger female. Her other hand was occupied with stroking Cherry's hair softly. "What's wrong, darling?"

Cherry pulled away and sniffled. Tooth continued to stroke her hair.

"I...I can't see anything. At all."

North stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Do you mind telling what happen?"

The young girl nodded and slowly and carefully began to explain what happened so as not to burst into tears. Tears streamed down her face but they didn't affect her explanation. Tooth kept stroking her hair soothingly and whenever she was about to start crying again, Jack would squeeze her hand gently in reassurance. It reminded her of Jackson. He was the only one in the village that knew the truth about her home life.

* * *

Jackson was waiting in the same meeting spot. A nice quiet place where none of the other villagers ever came. He pulled out is pocket watch and saw that Cherry was late again. The girl was getting later and later each time. He heard a rustling.

"Sorry I'm late. Mother was talking to me."

"Oh. 'Bout what?" He asked cheekily.

"None of your business, Overland." Said Cherry, pushing Jackson playfully. She hissed slightly in pain as she did so.

"Are you alright Cherry?" asked Jackson worried. They had met up about an hour ago quickly and when she pushed him, she didn't seem to be in pain.

"I'm fine."

"Cherry! Cherry! Come back here! I haven't finished talking to you!" It could only be one person who was calling her, because there was only one other in the village. It was Cherry's mother. The female brunette whimpered slightly at the knowledge that her mother hadn't finished talking to her.

"I'll be back," she whispered.

She returned roughly 2 hours later. She had obviously been crying because her eyes were red rimmed and she was sniffling. She was also hurt. It was obvious from the way she was carrying herself.

"Cherry. What's wrong?" Jackson asked.

"Nothing." Was the short answer.

"Cherry..." he said in a tone which could easily be translated to _tell-me-or-else_.

The girl began crying and Jack wrapped his arms around his younger friend. She pulled back after a few minutes and began telling him about how she was abused by her mother for no reason. Whenever she was about to start crying again, Jackson would squeeze her hand gently in reassurance. When she finished she made him promise not to tell anyone. While he didn't like the idea, he took care of her himself. If she had been abused she told him as soon as possible. He would tend to her serious wounds and she would explain what happened. It pained him to see that Cherry's mother pretended to care for the girl whenever anyone else was around. But he wouldn't break his promise, even if it killed him.

* * *

She finished her story and Sandy passed her some tissues as a way of saying he cared.

"Why don't you go to sleep?" suggested Jack softly. "I promise I'll stay here and wake you if you're having a serious nightmare."

She nodded and Jack ushered everyone except Aster out of the room. She fell asleep quickly.

"Ya realised too, huh?"

"How could I not? My twin sister is laying in front of me."

* * *

 _She looked around and saw nothing. Maybe the nightmare couldn't affect her because she was blind. But there was a flash of light. She blinked and saw she was standing in a small meadow. She turned to look behind her and someone she had lost so long ago._

 _"Jackson?"_

 _"Well I'm not the Easter Bunny am I?"_

 _She hugged him. Then pushed him away._

 _"How could you leave me like that? Do you even realised what your death did to me? It caused me to die and become a spirit! I just wanted to die so I was with you again but nooo... Life has to hate me and turn me into an IMMORTAL spirit."_

 _"But I'm right here."_

 _"It's a dream doofus." She mumbled._

 _Jackson shook his head and said, "I'm still alive. You have been with me for a few days now. I_ _just need to show you something." She pulled her towards him and they arrived at the memory Bunny and Jack had seen. The one with the baby twins._

 _"You had a twin? What happened to them?" He just jestered for her to continue watching._

 _Amelia picked up the baby girl and took it to someone Cherry only knew too well. "I..I'm your twin?"_

 _"Yeah. You can just ask me for more details when you wake up."_

 _"I can't because, hello, you're dead."_

 _"I'm not. I'm someone who you are close to these days."_

 _"What do you mean? Jackson? NO DON'T LEAVE ME! I NEED MORE TIME! PLEASE!" But Jackson faded without another word._

* * *

Cherry awoke with a gasp. She felt around for Jack's hand and squeezed it.

"Jackson?"


	15. Snowball Fight

"Jackson?"

"Cherry?"

"OMFG! I missed you so much. You don't even know what you put me through after you died!"

Jack hugged her close. He had found his best friend. His fellow winter spirit. His twin sister.

Aster stood at the side, not sure what to do. Jack saw him and extended an arm towards his older brother. "Come on, Kangaroo. You're part of my family too." Bunny walked up and hugged them. Jack had his twin and brother. Aster had his 2 siblings. Cherry had her twin and her twin's brother, which sounded weird.

"Give me a moment. Make sure ya don't squeeze each other too hard, otherwise there will be nothin' ta squeeze." He left and came back with 2 glasses of white liquid. "Oi, Snowflake hold out your hand. I'm gonna pass ya a glass. Ya hafta drink ever single drop. Got it?"

Cherry nodded and put her hand out. She wished she could see what she was being given. She brought the glass to her lips and drank it all. Bunnymund drank the contents of the other glass. "What was that?"

"It was a special potion which would mean yar now my sister and I'm know yar older brother. Ma mother used it on Jack."

"But doesn't that mean P...p..he's your father too?"

Jack answered instead. "Listen. No matter what he says ignore him. Pitch is only trying to get under your skin. Kozmotis is our dad. Pitch may be related to us by blood, but that's it. Now, we got to work out how you can kick Pitch's butt without being able to see your nose."

"Just lead me back to Burgess. I've got just the thing there."

Jack raised an eyebrow but he grabbed her hand and made sure she had her staff. He yanked her off the bed and they flew out of the window.

Bunny stared out the window but suddenly the room went dark. Bunny turned around and the light came back to reveal Pitch Black.

"What are ya doing here!? Ya know yar not welcome!"

"I came looking for the thing you stole from me." said Pitch smoothly.

"She ain't a possession! Ya blinded her! Ya ain't gonna get her back! Even if ya kill me!"

"Wait! I what!?"

"Stop playing innocent! Ya blinded her! The girl can't walk around without some one guiding her, let alone fly!"

Pitch's expression of pure horror. He waved his arm and vanished from the Warren. He arrived in his mansion's main hallway. He stalked down to the room where he created the specialised nightmares. He tried to create something which would give his daughter her eyesight back, but he couldn't do it. Nightmares were a negative thing. They couldn't bring a positive thing. He growled in anger and frustration. He could only hope that the effects weren't eternal.

* * *

Jack and Cherry arrived at the lake in Burgess and Cherry pulled away from her brother. She felt around and came to an old tree with a ribbon tied on the branches.

"Jack. I need you to fly to the top of the tree and ring the bell there."

"Alright. Wait here." He raced up and rang the bell, before plummeting to the ground. He landed on his back and started making a snow angel.

"Jack! What's taking you so long!?"

'Oops' Jack had conveniently forgotten Cherry couldn't see he had come back. "Sorry. Forgot you couldn't see. I'm on the ground making a snow angel."

She sat down next to him, crossing her legs. "How can you forget I'm blind when the reason we came here was to get something to help me get around?"

"I dunno. So what exactly are we waiting for?"

"Patience, dear twin."

"I don't like waiting." grumbled Jack while his twin just laughed at him. She gathered a bundle of snow and threw it in Jack's direction. Unfortunately, Jack was getting up to admire his piece of work and the snowball wacked him in the face.

"Oh it is on!" He made 3 snowballs and was ready to throw them when three other snowballs wacked them out of his hands. He looked at the girl in shock. She had a smug expression on her face.

"I may be blind but I have NEVER been beaten in a snowball fight."

"Well, you better start getting used to losing. Because I'm gonna win!"

Cherry laughed and threw another snowball igniting a furious snowball fight. For 3 hours, the sight of the two laughing teens and snowballs soaring back and forth, filled the air.

They collapsed, side by side, in the snow. Cherry was happy that she could have fun even though she was now blind. She guessed that being the Guardian of Fun, it was Jack's job. To make sure everyone has fun. Regardless of any problem.

She heard a yawn come from the teen next to her.

"You must be tired. I'll wake you when the thing gets here." All that she got in response was a light snore emitting from Jack's mouth. She chuckled and then felt something big and soft arrive on the other side of her. She gave Jack another hour before waking him. Jack was met by the sight of a grey wolf. "Jack, meet Dusk. My immortal wolf partner."


	16. Yapping Like Mad

"Okay. We've been over this as kids. Wolves are dangerous. How did you end up with your favourite animal being your partner!?"

Cherry sighed. "It's to do with being turned into a spirit."

* * *

Around 2 weeks after your death I found myself walking down the path that led to our hideout. I was trying to avoid the kids, mothers and especially my own mother. It was around 1:30 in the morning. I was going to go back home when...

Young Cherry heard a shuffling come from behind her. She turned her head so quickly, her neck almost snapped. A large hunting dog came out of the bushes she was observing, teeth bared with blood dripping from them. More hunting dogs followed, all having bloodstained teeth. Cherry was known to be terrified of dogs, even corgis, so this was like a living nightmare. Their red eyes didn't help. They creeped closer and closer. Cherry edged backwards to find herself tripping over a large stick. She shuffled backwards, hoping someone would call the dogs off or see her in trouble, but she was like a black cat. She only had bad luck. She tried to shout or scream, something that would get someone's attention. But the sound was stuck in her throat.

She looked hopeless. At least there was an upside to it all. She may see Jackson again. She missed him. Her hair flapped around wildly like trees in a storm. Then suddenly the hunting dogs were fleeing for their lives. Cherry opened her eyes opened slowly and saw a wolf cub rolling around, panting like a dog. She giggled and tickled its tummy. It was then that she realised the little one had a broken leg.

"D...d...did YOU save me?"

The little wolf yapped in response.

"You're cute. But you are hurt. Come on." She carefully scooped up the pup in her arms. She walked into the village quietly, not wanting to attract the attention of anyone. She crept into her home and grabbed the first aid kit. She put the pup on to her bed. He was so curious yet careful, as if he knew any damaged thing would get his new friend hurt. He pawed the fluffy pillow before going for a little test jump. He gave a quiet yap of approval and tried to find something else to test. Unfortunately for him, Cherry had got all the things she needed. She picked him up and sprayed some antiseptic spray onto the wound. He howled quietly. "There, there little one." She applied the bandages and gave him a kiss on the forehead. He licked her and she laughed. "Ewww. Well you're all bandaged up so I can take you back."

As if realising what she meant, the little grey wolf cub refused to budge. After 10 minutes of futile attempts she gave in. "Alright. You can stay. But you've got to stay outta sight otherwise we'll both wished the dogs killed us. Now, I can't keep calling you 'little one'." She studied the shimmering silvery grey coat of her new companion and only one word came to mind. "How about Dusk?" He jumped up and down in delight, loving his new name. Cherry pulled Dusk close and gave him a big hug.

For the next month, he was there for her in a way, slightly like how Jackson used to be there for her. If her mother had just beaten her, she would cry into his coat and he would sit there silently, knowing silence was exactly what the brunette needed. However that didn't last long.

Cherry had gone outside to put the washing up. Dusk was now a full grown grey wolf, meaning that he had to hide under her bed.

"Cherry! Come inside this instant!" She put the last of the clothes up and went inside to her room, where her mother was. By this point in time she had learn to expect the unexpected. Especially when it came to the reasons her mother beat her. But nothing could help her expect what she was currently looking at. Dusk had been found and was having a large metal muzzle put over his mouth. Her mother turned on her with a scary expression on her face. She was ready to beat the girl to a bloody pulp, when there was a knock on the door. Cherry's mother glared in the general direction of the door. "I'm not finished with you." She hissed. She left, locking the door behind her.

The moment the door clicked, Cherry pulled the muzzle off the poor wolf and grabbed a backpack. It had been handmade by Jackson after he accidentally broke the old one. She put in a few clothes (given by other villagers) and a few snacks. She then prised the window open and she jumped out, Dusk following close behind. He kneeled down and Cherry clambered on. The moment she was comfortable, Dusk rode her away from her life of misery and pain. A few days later they arrived at a lake which resembled the one back at Burgess. She and Dusk sat in the middle of the lake and she sobbed her heart out.

She cried because her best friend had died.

She cried because her pet had defended her from both the hunting dogs and her mother.

She cried because she had the worst luck of them all.

She cried because at the moment, it was the only thing she could do without messing up. She and Dusk were too upset to notice that the moon shone special Ray's at them. They only realised the change once they pulled apart. Cherry now had extremely pale skin with white hair. Her hoodie had a frosty look about it. She tried getting up but she slipped. She saw a stick that resembled a shepherds crook. She grabbed it and it looked to be frozen. After a while of experimenting her powers she heard something being said. "You are now Cherry Winters." She looked at the direction of the moon, but heard no more. She looked to her companion to see that Dusk's coat shimmered like frost. Apart from that, there was nothing different about him. She sighed, clambered onto his back again and they flew off into the night.

* * *

Jack held his sister close like he used to do and was about to comfort her verbally when a worried Bunnymund showed up.

"Ya both hafta get ta the Pole as fast as possible!"

Jack stood up and said, "Let's go."

Cherry tried to get up but fell. Jack and Aster looked down to her and saw that she had started to freeze.


	17. Of Koalas, Kangaroos and Bigfoot

Aster scooped his little sister up and went straight to the emergency room in the Pole. Jack flew down after with Dusk, who was carrying his owner's staff. They raised the alarm and within MOMENTS the other 3 Guardians arrived. By this time she had fallen into unconciousness again. Aster swore the girl was barely ever conscious around them. Hell, she spent more time conscious around Pitch.

"Vhat's happened!?"

Sandy made himself noticed then made an arrow pointing to Dusk and a question mark following afterward.

Jack explained everything, but at the end of his detailed explanation Aster shook his head.

"That doesn't explain why she's freeezin'!"

Jack sighed and pinched his nose in frustration. He really wished the drama would be over soon. "S...she's still is extremely upset. I don't know if something happens to other seasonals but the spirits that bring winter need to keep their mind intact. Otherwise, they begin to freeze. The only way to stop it is to find the source of the problem and solve it. And..I have no clue what's wrong but I'm guessing it's to do with Pitch and the kidnapping." At this, Dusk gave a small hoxwl of dismay, digging his head under his friend's hand. Jack patted the poor wolf.

"Is there anything we can do now?" asked Tooth. She loved the young girl very much, and even though she wasn't as close as Jack and Cherry, you couldn't deny they were close.

Before anyone could answer, there was a soft groan. Cherry was awake. Bunny sat her up and supported her so she wouldn't go swerving off the bed. By now, the ice was just underneath her knees. Everyone began fussing around her until Bunny and Jack pushed them away.

"Snowflake will need all the space she can get." Said Aster chuckling at the annoyed expression his little sister gave to him.

She coughed slightly before saying, "M'name's not Snowflake. Get your facts straight Koala."

Everyone snickered at the nickname, will Aster cupped his head in his paws. "Come on! Even Kangaroo's better than Koala!" He groaned loudly when he realised he said that aloud.

"Oh," said Jack with a Cheshire Cat sized grin on his face. "So you like it when I call you Kangaroo!?"

"NO!" Protested Bunny.

Jack shrugged. "Suit yourself, Bigfoot." Aster groaned as everyone laughed. North patted him on the back sympathetically.

They were unaware of the Fearlings hidden amongst the shadows.

* * *

Ever since he found out about Cherry's predicament, Pitch had tried to find a way to give the Spirit her sight back. Every time he tried, it got harder and harder. He could feel the Fearlings trying to destroy all the good from his soul. They friend to devour his desire to help Cherry but the desire was too strong.

He had tried at least 7 times by now, and he was about to try again, when he let out a horrific scream. The Fearlings that had taken over him came out, but he wasn't back to normal. He wasn't Kozmotis neither was he Pitch Black. He had become a mindless servant to the Fearlings. He couldn't control his mind or body. He was powerless against the creatures. Oh how he tried to fight, but no one could help him and they were too strong for him to deal with himself. He felt his body turn and he felt himself begin to head towards the Pole. He tried to stop, but it was futile. The Fearlings were going to rid the world of Guardiams and in the back of his head, he could tell that they planned on corrupting them just as they did to him. There was no stopping them from achieving their goal.


	18. MERCY!

MiM sensed the presence of the wild Fearlings and began to panic. What had happened? He gathered all the power he could and sent a message down to the Guardians. The moonbeams had a slight golden tinge, for MiM was sending it in the language that Sandy spoke. The language of the Sand.

They were still laughing at Aster's misery, when Sandman got the message.

 _Sandman! The Fearlings have escaped Pitch's soul! They have turned him into a mindless slave and they are heading towards the Pole. Give the twins this riddle._

 _As beautiful as the setting sun,_

 _As delicate as the morning dew;_

 _An angel's dusting from the stars_

 _that can turn the Earth into_

 _A frosted moon._

 _Hidden amongst this you'll find,_

 _Something that requires both skill and mind,_

 _Solve me and I will spit out lava,_

 _I can give you back your father._

 _I can be found on a place that is_ _tall but not a skyscraper_

 _I can be climbed but I'm not a tree._

Sandy wrote the riddle on to a sheet of paper, confused by the content. It made no sense. He bowed his head in thanks and grabbed Dingle as the elf was walking by. He shook the elf hard and continued until everyone faced him, except for eyes, her eyes were moving around, looking dull. He heard a whisper in his mind.

I wish I could see again.

That was Cherry's dream. It's a shame she never thought about it in her dreams. Maybe it would undo what the nightmare had done.

That's it! She must of seen something she really didn't want to see in her nightmare. If in a dream or nightmare a desire was truly strong and the person honestly wanted it, it could actually happen in real life. He wrote that on the paper and gave the sheet to the twins. It explained how to get Cherry's eyesight back as well as having MiM riddle.

Jack read it aloud so everyone could hear it. Cherry had a thoughtful expression. She repeated the riddle over and over, several things going through the her mind. ' _A frosted moon'._ Frosted. Frost. That was Jack's last name. He was the spirit of Winter. Winter meant lots of things, fun, Christmas, snow, ice. Wait. Snow. Snow was seen as delicate, beautiful and was like a white dust. On a mountain. They were tall and and could be climbed.

"Fantastic work twin of mine."

Had she said that all out loud?

"Yes you did! Your mind to mouth filter isn't working."

Cherry felt for Jack's hand, which was close to her, like always, and squeezed it tightly. Really tightly. It brought a smile to her face hearing Jack's dramatic act.

"Owowowowowow! O Mercy! Mercy! Please! MERCY!" She let go and he immediately started shaking his hand, as if it were on fire.

After a minute he calmed down and picked up Cherry, ignoring her shouts of protest, and plonked her onto Dusk. "Come on. We'll need silence if we are going to get your eyesight back."

Aster stood up. "'Nd we'll get ready fur tha invasion. Tooth, get yar fairies. North, gather tha rest o' tha elves 'nd yetis. Sandy, yar comin' with me. We'll keep an eye out, 'nd keep 'em at bay 'til tha others are done." They all ran off around the workshop while the twins headed to Jack's home.

When they got to Jack's home, they went straight to the spare bedroom. Jack told Cherry to lie down on the bed, only for her to shake her head.

"Why not!?"

In answer, Cherry gestured to her legs. The ice was slowly sliding over her knee caps. Jack groaned. He hated life sometimes. He carefully picked her up, with no objection, and lay her down. She closed her eyes but couldn't fall asleep. Fantastic! Just spiffy! When she least needed to sleep, she was practically knocked out (most of the time she WAS!), and when she needed slumber it was like she had drank 15 cups of coffee in a row, and she didn't even like coffee!

Then she heard her brother whisper a lullaby.

 _Dimidium alterum iuxta te est,_

 _Propius factum est, quam putas._

 _Dimidium totius es._

 _Ibi est ipsum esse, tu tamen, ut,_

 _Quaerere gerit,_

 _Deserta quaerere,_

 _Sed semper domi quaerere._

 _Aliud medium coniunctum est vestri,_

 _Usque in sempiternum a sanguine coniunctum._

 _Semper coniunctum per caritatem._

She was no stranger to Latin. Her mind translated it automatically. (Thankfully her mind to mouth filter was working again!)

 _Your other half is near,_

 _It's closer than you think._

 _You are a half of a whole._

 _There is more to yourself you've yet to find,_

 _Search the jungles,_

 _Search the deserts,_

 _But always search home._

 _Your other half is linked,_

 _Forever linked by blood._

 _Forever linked by love._

He repeated it again and again, while Cherry felt herself drifting off.

* * *

 _Cherry opened her eyes and saw the memory of the day she met Dusk playing on front of her, but just before the part where Dusk arrived as a cute cub with infinite energy, it started turning black. She was going blind in her dreams. She wanted to be able to see._

 _She was fed up of having to rely on others to help her. She wanted to see so she could stand on her own. There was a flash of white and she awoke._

* * *

She blinked and saw nothing but darkness.

She blinked again and saw Jack looking at her worriedly.

"Cherry?"

"It worked," she whispered. "I can see again Jack!" Jack gave a shout of joy, picked up Cherry and spun her around happy. He put her down only for her to jump back on. He looked down and saw by this point in time, the ice was almost at her waist. It must of grown quicker while she was sleeping. He put her down on Dusk's back who immediately licked her face when she bent over.

"Come on, sis. We've got to find the thing MiM wanted us to find. Where do you think it is?"

Cherry thought for a moment and then said, "The tallest mountain at the Pole. If it were somewhere else, there would of been more to the riddle."

"Let's go then!" They shot off and out through the window.

At the Pole, the Fearlings were marching to bring the Guardians to their doom.


	19. Animals

**For this chapter it will have the lines of the song 'Animals' by Maroon 5 because it fits with the rhythm of the chapter. I recommend you listen to it. It's a really good song!**

* * *

 **Baby, I'm preying on you tonight.**

 **Hunt you down, eat you alive.**

 **Just like animals,**

 **Animals,**

 **Like animals-mals.**

 **Maybe you think that you can hide.**

 **I can smell your scent for miles.**

 **Just like animals,**

 **Animals,**

 **Like animals-mals.**

 **Baby I'm...**

Cherry and Jack rushed to the tallest mountain and began digging in the snow with their bear hands. They saw a puzzle, which looked like it was meant to be a circle.

 **So, what you tryin' to do to me.**

 **It's like we can't stop, we're enemies.**

 **But we get along when I'm inside you.**

They heard a shout and looked down the hill in horror. They saw Pitch Black and the difference from the last time was shocking. His appearance was no different except for the fact his eyes were completely white, as if he was unconscious. And all his movements probably were done unconciously. He looked like he was a puppet on strings. His posture and movement was limp. Cherry felt sorry for him before being disgusted at herself. He had kidnapped her, made her blind and didn't do anything about it. Why should she feel sorry for the man who used to be her... No don't think about it.

 **You're like a drug that's killing me.**

 **I cut you out entirely,**

 **But I get so high when I'm inside you.**

She looked back at the scene and saw the Guardians, fairies, yetis and elves battling frenziedly against the Fearling army. No one was fighting Pitch. It looked like the only the thing the possessed spirit was doing was powering the Fearlings. She saw Tooth going all out. That fairy certainly packed some punch. North slashed Fearling after Fearling. Decapitating them, slicing them in half you name it. Bunnymund not only threw his boomerangs at the horse figures but he punched, kicked and threw some egg-bombs. Sandy was pretty scary. His whips of Dreamsand lashed around violently, ruthlessly smashing the Fearlings. Cherry would of continued to watch the fight but she heard a frustrated shout from right next to her.

 **Yeah you can start over you can run free.**

 **You can find other fish in the sea.**

 **You can pretend it's meant to be,**

 **But you can't stay away from me.**

 **I can still hear you making that sound,**

 **Taking me down, rolling on the ground.**

 **You can pretend that it was me,**

 **But no, oh.**

"Why a PUZZLE!? Of all the things it has to be a PUZZLE!"

Cherry couldn't help it. She laughed at her brother. He hated puzzles. "Look. You go down and help the others, I'll work on this."

"But, you're freezing." It was true. The ice was just over her waist.

"You will be more help to them. You have the powers of Winter as well as being a Guardian. The children's belief in you make you more powerful than me. Any way I'm better at puzzles and I have Dusk protecting me." Jack thought for a moment then nodded, albeit reluctantly.

"Alright. But be careful." He gave her a hug and he really didn't want to let go. He was so tempted to grab her as well as Aster and run off. He didn't want to lose them.

 **Baby I'm preying on you tonight.**

 **Hunt you down, eat you alive.**

 **Just like animals,**

 **Animals,**

 **Like animals-mals.**

 **Maybe you think that you can hide.**

 **I can smell your scent for miles.**

 **Just like animals,**

 **Animals,**

 **Like animals-mals.**

 **Baby I...**

"Here." Jack pulled back and saw that she was giving him her only defence. Her staff. "It's no use to me. I'll probably freeze up after completing it. It will honestly be more of a use to you than me." He took it gingerly and there was a bright blue flash of light encasing him. When it went he looked different. His hoodie looked stronger, a bit like armour but was covered in blue fur. His hood was over his head and on the top, there was something that looked like wolf ears. The staffs were no longer in his hands. Instead, they were on a chain on his neck, in the shape of a cross. One looked like they normally did, however Cherry's staff had a slightly purple glow to it.

 **I run it's not enough.**

 **You're still in my head forever stuck.**

 **So you can do what you wanna do, eh.**

 **I love your lies I'll eat 'em up.**

 **But don't deny the animal,**

 **That comes alive when I'm inside you.**

"What hap...woah!" Jack put his hand against the necklace and when he pulled it away, a blue light appeared. He pulled back and threw it with all of his might. It was like a snow bomb went off. He focused on making another and he threw that too, this time at one of the Fearlings approaching. The thing went off with an icy bang. "Cool!" He rushed off and Cherry immediately got to work. She jumped off Dusk, who immediately started circling the area she was working in. The pieces were really heavy and it didn't help that the ice was under her neck and was creeping down her arm.

 **Yeah you can start over you can run free.**

 **You can find other fish in the sea.**

 **You can pretend it's meant to be,**

 **But you can't stay away from me.**

 **I can still hear you making that sound.**

 **Taking me down, rolling on the ground.**

 **You can pretend that it was me.**

 **But no, oh.**

Jack was having a bit more luck. He bashed the Fearlings, there was only one problem. They kept reforming after a few seconds. There had to be a way to stop them from regrowing. It was then that he noticed Pitch sent nightmare sand at their crumbling forms, bringing them back. He saw a larger Fearling behind Pitch. It had the same white eyes as Pitch whereas the others had blue eyes. That one must be controlling Pitch. Jack ran up gathering his power into a huge ball and lobbed it at the Fearling leader. It froze in place. Pitch stood as if he was too. Jack punched him to make sure he couldn't start powering the Fearlings again.

 **Baby I'm preying on you tonight.**

 **Hunt you down eat you alive.**

 **Just like animals,**

 **Animals,**

 **Like animals-mals.**

 **Maybe you think that you can hide.**

 **I can smell your scent for miles.**

 **Just like animals,**

 **Animals,**

 **Like animals-mals.**

 **Baby I'm...**

"Thanks, Frostbite!" Shouted Aster as he decapitated another Fearling, this one actually vanishing. Jack nodded and focused on making more of his awesome snowballs.

 **Don't tell no lie, lie, lie, lie.**

 **You can't deny, ny, ny, ny.**

 **The beast inside, side, side, side.**

 **Yeah yeah yeah.**

 **No girl don't lie, lie, lie, lie (No girl don't lie).**

 **You can't deny, ny, ny, ny (You can't deny).  
**

 **The beast inside, side, side, side.**

 **Yeah yeah yeah.**

Cherry was scared. The ice was past her elbows. She placed the last piece and it flashed. There was a large button in its place. She made to press it when her hands froze over. The ice was now on her neck. She had to act fast. "Dusk! Press the button! Leave the Fearlings and press it!"

 **Yo,**

 **Whoa**

 **Whoa**

 **Just like animals,**

 **Animals,**

 **Like animals-mals.**

 **Just like animals (Yeah),  
**

 **Animals (Yeah),**

 **Like animals-mals (Yeah).**

 **Ow!**

Jack looked over when he heard Cherry's plea to her wild canine friend. He raced up when he saw she was up to her neck in ice. But before he could reach her, she was completely encased. "Nooooooo!" He tried to get to her frozen figure but several hundred Fearlings were purposely blocking his path. They were feeding of his fear for the loss of his twin. They were making sure he couldn't reach her. He was infuriated. He punched the one closest and suddenly there was a strong pulse which blew them out of his path.

 **Baby I'm preying on you tonight.**

 **Hunt you down eat you alive.  
**

 **Just like animals,**

 **Animals,**

 **Like animals-mals.**

 **Maybe you think that you can hide.**

 **I can smell your scent for miles.**

 **Just like animals,  
**

 **Animals,**

 **Like animals-mals,**

 **Baby I'm...**

He didn't waste any time. He began running to Cherry. Behind him, Aster had seen what had happened and panicked. He pounced over and was right on his brother's tail (or lack of.) But Dusk pressed the button and lava rolled down the hill. It didn't burn Jack or any of the other Guardians. In fact it was like rolling in the snow. It was quite cool. It knocked them down where it flowed over their bodies harmlessly but the Fearlings disintegrated and Pitch screamed.

 **Don't tell no lie, lie, lie, lie.**

 **You can't deny, ny, ny, ny.**

 **The beast inside, side, side, side.**

 **Yeah yeah yeah.  
**

 **No girl don't lie, lie, lie, lie (No girl don't lie).**

 **You can't deny, ny, ny, ny (You can't deny).**

 **The beast inside, side, side, side.**

 **Yeah yeah yeah.**


	20. Panic

He opened his eyes and sat up. The world was spinning around him. He began bringing his hand towards, expecting to see his usual eclipse like hand. But when he saw it, it was a perfectly normal skin colour. He couldn't remember what he had been doing before. The last thing he remembered was opening the prison to save his imprisoned daughter. He remembered something entering his soul and for the past few hundred years, he remember his skin was then eclipse grey. He called out hesitantly, " H...He...Hello!?"

* * *

She felt the ice encasing her completely. Through the ice she heard Jack's shout of horror and saw her faithful friend press the button. Those were the last things she heard and saw before everything went black.

Then suddenly, she felt the ice melting off. It flowed down into a puddle on the ground which immediently began freezing in the cold climate. She collapsed on to the ground but didn't lose her consciousness (THANKFULLY!:). She lay there regaining her energy.

What had happened after Dusk pressed the button? She hadn't seen anyone since the ice came off. She saw Jack and Aster a few feet away. Bunnymund laying was awake, but Jack lay on the ground as if asleep. Cherry staggered towards the two, not noticing the Guardians following her until she reached her brother. Aster helped her sit in a comfortable position next to her twin and then he sat by her.

"Ve vill go get aid first box!" Said North, pushing Tooth and Sandy towards the sleigh before Aster or Cherry could argue. Cherry put her hand on the necklace, then suddenly she was engulfed in a flash of light. Her hood was now up and her light blue hoodie became furry like Jack's. Her staff was on a chain on her neck, still slightly purple. On Jack's chain was his staff, which looked like normal. She pulled the hood down and suddenly the fur and ears disappeared. Her staff appeared in her hands.

"That's cool! What do ya think it's fur?"

She looked up at the Pooka and sighed. "No clue. What happened after I froze?"

"Yar companion pressed tha button and some type of lava rolled down. It didn't burn us, but tha Fearlings disintegrated."

"What about...?" She really didn't want to finish the sentence. Thankfully, Aster understood. He shrugged, not knowing. He looked at her reaction and it wasn't what he expected. He expected her to start panicking or get up to do a quick search. What he did not expect was her breathing to become quick and heavy. He did not expect her to start rocking back and forth. And he definitely did not expect her eyes to begin traveling upwards.

He didn't think. He grabbed the girl and held her close to his chest. He breathed so it matched her and then began to slow his breathing down. As his breathing slowed down, so did Cherry's. He rocked her gently and soon she fell asleep in his arms. It was then he heard the voice.

"H...He...Hello!?"

He really didn't want to disturb the girl in his lap so he wrote a note on a piece of paper he had on his person and sent it over to the direction of the voice folding it like paper aeroplane. On it he had written:

 _Follow the trail of aeroplanes._

He then he sent a few more, creating a trail. He saw a figure, staggering over and he was shocked to see an old friend of his. Some one who had disappeared when the Nightmare King appeared.

"Aster!?" exclaimed the figure.

* * *

He heard nothing for a few moments. He blinked and found a well crafted paper aeroplane. It said:

 _Follow the trail of aeroplanes._

He then saw another plane.

And another.

They continued to arrive making a trail. Heading the letter, he slowly began to follow it. When he reached the end, he saw a child laying on the floor. From what he could tell it was a boy who looked to be in his late teens. He saw a girl, who looked about the same age as the boy. She layed curled up in someone's lap. That person was staring in his direction. When his mind registered who it was he was surprised.

"Aster!?" he exclaimed.

"Uncle Koz!?"


	21. Together Again

"Uncle Koz!? Is...is that really you?" Kozmotis Pitchiner, sat by the Pooka and nodded in confirmation.

"Aster? Do you know what happened? I remember opening the prison cell, but the rest is a blur. In fact, the only two things I remember is that the colour of my skin had changed, and that just a while ago, I was being controlled by the Fearlings."

Aster explained everything that had happened since Kozmotis became Pitch Black. How North, Tooth and himself were made Guardians alongside the Sandman to defeat him. How a few months back he returned and Jack Frost became the newest addition to the group. How, even though he was defeated again, he came back on Jack's birthday and brainwashed him. How they found out that Jack is his own younger brother. How they found out that Cherry was his twin. How they found out they were both his children. Suddenly, Kozmotis' memory kicked back in painfully. He remembered why he kidnapped both the twins as Pitch Black.

* * *

Pitch was extremely upset. His son had died saving his step-sister. He had drowned in the lake. He was about to go and start spreading Nightmares when a message appeared in front of him. It was in the Multi-verse Tube. He had invented it as Kozmotis Pitchiner to send messages to other universes or during other times or both. For example if you lived on Mars in 2013 you could send a message to someone living on Earth in 1066.

Anyway, Pitch sat down with the message. He wondered what his wife had sent him this time. He knew that she didn't ever listen to the messages. She would just try and fix it and end up making a mess of it. A rare smile adorned his face as he heard his wife's voice.

 _"Hello Kozmotis. I hope you are you alright. My..my baby boy's gone. Why did you leave me? I only have his twin and Cherry doesn't even know. I was planning on telling them both on their next birthday but...now Jackson has left without knowing. I feel horrible. Why did you help me with my groceries Kozmotis? You changed my life. But I can't even see the one I love the most anymore. Our only way of communication is with this tube. And don't correct me in your next message. You may of been transformed into Pitch Black, but to me you'll forever be my Kozmotis. I thought you may be upset about Jackson so there is a recording of Cherry right after this. I don't know what it says but I doubt it is anything to worry about. I hope it helps you as much as it helps me see her."_

After Pitch heard Cherry's unknowingly done recording, he would disagree with Amelia and that woman was a scary person to disagree with. It WAS something to worry about and it DIDN'T help him with the loss of his son.

 _"HOW DARE YOU! YOU KNOW YOU ARE FORBIDDEN TO TALK TO ME LIKE THAT! I DON'T CARE IF YOUR ONLY FRIEND IS DEAD! IT SERVES YOU RIGHT! YOU DON'T DESERVE ANYONE'S FRIENDSHIP!"_

In between each sentence there was a sound resembling that of a whip. Pained screams accompanied each lash. Occasionally, there was a desperate plea.

 _"...please! I didn't mean it...please stop...I'm sorry..."_

The lashes stopped and Cherry's adoptive mother left the room. Pitch was ready to stop the message when he heard one more sentence.

 _"I wish I knew my dad."_

That made Pitch determined to do whatever it took. Even if it meant pleading to the MiM to turn his only daughter into a spirit. Little did he know, the MiM would answer him and he would be reunited not only with his only daughter but his only son.

* * *

Kozmotis looked to the 2 children sleeping in front of himself and Aster. It was then that it clicked and when it did the 2 woke up. They looked at Kozmotis and unknowingly asked "Dad?"

He nodded and his 2 children hugged him tightly. Finally, they had found their father and he had found his children. And they were never leaving each other again.


	22. 3 2 1 Disaster

The twins hugged their father tight, as if he would vanish if they loosened their grip. After their 17 years as humans and 301 years as spirits, it would be be indescribable to tell you how they were feeling. Eventually Jack let go, but only because Aster told him to move back. The other 2 didn't notice. Cherry was crying into Kozmotis' shoulder and he was patting her back, letting her exhaust herself. Jack watched them for a moment while Aster checked the boy for injuries. He had a broken leg and large gash running down his back. It was wonder he never felt anything beforehand. After a while, Kozmotis lowered a sleeping Cherry into his lap. The poor girl was shattered after the events of the past few days. There was silence as they either looked out towards where the Guardians had disappeared or the slow rise and fall of Cherry's chest.

30 minutes later, the 3 Guardians appeared carrying medical equipment with Dusk leaping behind them. When they arrived the three dropped everything in shock. North was the first to speak.

"My eyes are deceiving me or I am seeing my old friend Kozmotis."

The man in question chuckled at North's way of speaking. "Your eyes haven't deceived you yet, Nicholas. Unless you count..."

North glared at Kozmotis. "Not another word. You may be old friend of mine, doesn't give permission to spill beans all over kitchen table."

Kozmotis rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Tooth. "Hello, Toothiana. How's the billions of kids?" he asked, purposely referring to the fairies as Tooth's own children as well as using Tooth's full name. They were her two pet peeves.

The Tooth Fairy harrumphed and crossed her arms. "You know very well, what happens when you say those two things." Kozmotis winced, as if being slapped by his wife, or being beaten to a pulp by a fairy half his size. That had hurt his back and his pride. "This is the only exception you are getting Pitchiner. You are lucky that your kids are here, otherwise..." She left the threat hanging.

Kozmotis hurriedly turned and greeted Sandy, ignoring the look coming from Tooth. After a bit of catching up, the Guardians (excluding Jack) realised they all knew Kozmotis someway. North was his best friend, Tooth came from the same area as Kozmotis, and Sandy was his godfather. Aster had known Kozmotis since he was a kit but since he was so young, he called him 'Uncle' and the name stuck.

Jack smiled as he thought about how much his life had changed. He was no longer a lone spirit looking for his purpose. He was now a younger and older brother. He was a twin. He was a son. He was a Winter Spirit. And most importantly, he was a Guardian. Life was settling down.

* * *

 **1 Week Later**

Kozmotis and Aster groaned when they heard a shout. Since being freed from the Fearlings, Kozmotis had turned the mansion into a more child friendly place. There were 2 tunnels which connected it to the Warren as well as the treehouse where Jack and Cherry stayed. Every day since coming back it was the same thing.

Bunny pinched his nose and counted down.

"3. 2. 1."

Cherry, on Dusk's back, burst into the room followed by Jack, both of which were laughing. Cherry backflipped off Dusk and over the coffee table. Jack leaped over to her, but she did a cartwheel over to behind the couch. When Jack was standing on the coffee table looking for Cherry, Kozmotis and Aster noticed his hair was dripping. Jack heard Cherry giggling and jumped over, beside her. Sighing, the two older spirits turned to look behind the couch. Jack was tickling Cherry relentlessly. Between breaths she pleaded for him to stop, but he shook his head, getting water all over her. Kozmotis put his hand against his head and watched Aster handle the situation.

"Why are ya attacking yar sister?"

Jack answered, but didn't stop tickling her. "She soaked me!"

"You...d...dyed my...my hair...pink yesterday!"

"Because you moved my bed to the top of Everest!

"That was ...b...because you got...Dusk's fur all over my room!"

"You.."

"No more. Yar both too much trouble. Why da ya both prank each other so much? Actually don't answer tha'." Said Aster. He pulled Jack off Cherry. "Come on. What da ya both want fur breakfast?"

Cherry shrugged as she dusted herself, picking up what remained of her pride. "Koz can chose."

"Why do you always want dad to chose? You aren't a baby, are you?"

During this whole transaction, Kozmotis was taking mental notes about how Aster handled the situation. They were both so troublesome and Kozmotis was too new to fatherhood to handle them by himself. He sighed when Cherry gave her usual answer when asked about breakfast. After being kidnapped by Pitch, she was scarred. She only called him Koz or Kozmotis. The only time she ever called him dad or father, was when she really wanted something. He looked at the three siblings and saw Cherry walking alongside Dusk and Bunnymund laughing. When he saw what she was laughing at, Kozmotis couldn't help but laugh as well. Jack was holding a struggling Jack over his back like a sack of potatoes. Jack's hood fell over his head and his staff vanished onto his neck. Ears popped out of the now furry hoodie and with renewed strength he loosened Aster's grip on him and jumped off, running towards the kitchen before Bunny could comprehend what had happened.

The Pooka turned to his sister. "Remind me to make sure to Sello-tape his hood when I carry 'im."

Cherry jumped onto his shoulders. "Only if you give me a piggyback." Bunnymund grinned and raced off with a girl on his back and a wolf on his heels.

Kozmotis chuckled and went to the kitchen.

He got there and began making some pancakes for the two hungry children. As he made them, Kozmotis noticed something off, but he couldn't place a finger on it. It would of slipped his mind if Bunny hadn't realised it.

"'ow have ya both turned ta brunettes?"

Cherry looked at Jack and Jack looked at Cherry, both now noticing the brown hair replacing their snowy locks. "WHAT!?"

* * *

A.N.- Because I'm such a cruel person, I'm finished Cherry on Top here.

Bye.

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Hands up, how many people thought it was ending there.

The story is finished however I will be posting a new story following after this one. I will post an authors note telling you what it is called. Any theories, comments or feelings can be put in a review. They make me smile and are like my fuel. More reviews, faster and longer chapters!

I would like to thank bluefrosty27 for all their support. I would like to also thank anyone who made a part of the 51 reviews I currently have. See ya'll in the third story!

~KitoH


	23. Next Story

It has come to my attention that I didn't send an author's note telling you about the next story and I feel guilty.

The next story is Twins Tested and we are a bit of the way in. Sorry for not realising sooner.

Also I have a one shot collection up called My Kit and it's about the relationship between Jack and Bunny, so check it out!

Again, I'm sorry for not telling you sooner.

~KitoH


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